WWE WrestleMania 33: Too Much Focus on Stars of Yesteryear

Every year, WWE falls into the same trap in regards to WrestleMania. With Goldberg headlining the main event of WrestleMania 33, WWE has once again fallen for the same trap.

WrestleMania is meant to serve as WWE’s Super Bowl.

In the NFL, the best team from the AFC and the best team from the NFC are rewarded for their success during the regular season by playing in the final game of the season with the opportunity to win the Super Bowl title.

For WWE, WrestleMania is meant to serve as reward for not only another successful year of programming but for the individual superstars that thrived during the past calendar year.

Operating under that principle, the likes of AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Bray Wyatt, Finn Balor, Sami Zayn, and The New Day should have significant roles at WrestleMania 33. Instead, all those aforementioned superstars are taking a backseat.

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Styles does not have a clear direction for WrestleMania 33 yet. The expectation is that he will face Shane McMahon but that seems like nothing more than a consolation prize. Styles, who may have the most successful first year in WWE ever, deserves to take center stage at the show.

The same can be said about Owens and Wyatt. Owens and his WWE Universal title run with former best friend Chris Jericho has been the only reason why fans continue to turn into Raw. Wyatt has been at the center of Smackdown’s programming since the draft last summer. At least Wyatt will be defending the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33 but that match is bound to take a backseat to Goldberg versus Brock Lesnar.

As for Balor, Zayn, and The New Day; none of those superstars are currently doing anything significant for WrestleMania 33. Balor is set to return from injury as early as next week so perhaps his direction becomes clear but it’s unlikely to be anything relevant. Zayn currently is in a feud with Samoa Joe and it’s unclear if that program will continue for WrestleMania 33. The New Day, well, they’re the hosts of WrestleMania 33–a slap in the face to a tag team that carried programming for much of the past year.

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Why are some of the most important superstars from the past year without anything to do at the most important show of the calendar year?

The answer to that question is because WWE makes the same mistake each year. Each year at WrestleMania, WWE spends too much time focusing on the stars of yesteryear. There are exceptions–Triple H makes logical sense considering fans are clamoring for his match against Seth Rollins. But Goldberg? The Undertaker?

A third match between Goldberg and Lesnar is not really necessarily and yet that will likely be the main event  at WrestleMania 33. But, don’t worry, Goldberg will defeat Kevin Owens on Sunday and his match with Lesnar will be for the WWE Universal title…how fun. Instead of Goldberg, why not have Lesnar face Kevin Owens for the WWE Universal title? No, WWE wants that match to be for a live event that won’t be televised.

But what about Chris Jericho, if Owens were to face Lesnar at WrestleMania 33, what would Jericho do? Jericho’s current run with WWE may be his best yet and it deserves a proper ending. While feuding with Owens will be a satisfying conclusion for Jericho’s current run, it wouldn’t be as legendary as a program with Balor would have been.

Then, there is The Undertaker. The Undertaker has no business fighting Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33. Reigns is the next top guy in WWE and Vince McMahon is pulling out all stops in order for that happen. That would be why Reigns will go over The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33. It makes little sense considering Reigns is not expected to turn heel but it’s 2017, nothing in WWE makes sense anymore.

Next: 20 Early Predictions for WrestleMania 33

Instead of foolishly relying on stars of yesteryear, WWE needs to actually reward their current superstars at WrestleMania. Until that happens, future WrestleMania’s will never up to the show’s past glory.